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Author Brian Muldoon joins us to discuss his novel The Luminous One, which reimagines the missing years of Jesus between ages 12 and 30.

In this conversation, we explore Jesus as a mystic and moral leader who may have encountered diverse spiritual traditions along ancient trade routes. Our discussion touches on Christian mysticism, Christ consciousness, imagination as a path to spiritual insight, and the radical ethical teachings that challenged the social boundaries of Jesus’ time.

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Brian Muldoon is an attorney, mediator, author, and longtime explorer of the spiritual life. After beginning his career as an intellectual property and entertainment lawyer in the late 1970s, he became a pioneer in mediation and conflict resolution, co-founding one of the first mediation firms in the United States. Over the course of 25 years he helped resolve thousands of disputes and authored The Heart of Conflict, a book widely used in graduate programs, corporate leadership training, and military education.

Brian’s work has long bridged law, spirituality, and interfaith dialogue. In 1993 he helped lead the facilitation team for the historic Parliament of the World’s Religions, and later served as executive director of Chicago’s Metropolitan Interfaith Initiative. In 1999 he co-organized the Synthesis Dialogues in Dharamsala, India with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and forty leading thinkers and spiritual leaders—an event later featured in the award-winning documentary Dalai Lama Renaissance, narrated by Harrison Ford.

A lifelong seeker drawn to the contemplative life since childhood, Brian has continued to explore what it means to live as “a monk in the world.” His novel The Luminous One reimagines the missing years of Jesus through the lens of mysticism, spiritual development, and cross-cultural wisdom traditions.

Find out more about Brian Muldoon at www.theluminousonebook.com

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From Stardust to Us explores spirituality, consciousness, and culture in an evolving universe through conversations at the intersection of science, soul, and lived experience.

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In this powerful and timely conversation, we speak with Linda, an attorney-turned-chaplain, whose life has been shaped by advocacy for immigrants, survivors of violence, and marginalized communities.

Due to safety concerns surrounding immigration advocacy, our guest joins us using only her first name.

Drawing from years of legal work and spiritual care, Linda shares her journey from immigration law to ordained ministry, and what it means to hold sacred space for those navigating trauma, displacement, and systemic injustice.

We explore:

• The resilience of Latina immigrants
• The Holy Family as refugees
• Intergenerational trauma and intimate partner violence
• Restorative justice as an alternative to punishment
• How faith communities can move from charity to true solidarity

Linda reminds us that justice and compassion are inseparable and that sacred presence may be one of the most radical forms of advocacy available to us today.

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From Stardust to Us explores spirituality, consciousness, and culture in an evolving universe through conversations at the intersection of science, soul, and lived experience.

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The Rt. Rev. Br. Mark D’Alessio is a Franciscan friar and the Mentor General in the spiritual society of the Companions of Francis and Clare. He is also a Christian bishop and priest, ordained Buddhist lay minister, spiritual director, chaplain, retreat leader, interspiritual pilgrim, and author. He previously served as President and Executive Director of the Psychotherapy & Spirituality Institute, an organization dedicated to integrating the wisdom of psychological care with the spiritual and pastoral traditions of the church.

A graduate of the Guild for Spiritual Guidance—founded by Henri Nouwen and Madeleine L’Engle—Br. Mark now serves as Dean of the Franciscan Circle’s Spiritual Direction and Community-Based Chaplaincy Training Program, sponsored by the Circle’s Institute for Interfaith Understanding and Practice. In this role, he oversees formation programs rooted in contemplative practice, ethical spiritual care, interfaith understanding, and Franciscan values. He is also a faculty member and community leader within the Guild and serves on the faculty of All Faiths Seminary International, training interfaith ministers and spiritual caregivers.

A long-time seeker and practitioner of spiritual wisdom, Br. Mark is ordained within multiple spiritual lineages, both East (Zen Buddhist) and West (Franciscan Christian). He seeks to affirm the Christian Wisdom tradition within a wider interspiritual framework and looks to both science and spirituality—as well as teachers such as Thích Nhat Hanh and St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi—as sources of inspiration, healing, and hope.

Currently residing on Long Island, Bishop Br. Mark recently retired from his work as a crisis counselor and program coordinator at a shelter for men and women experiencing homelessness, as well as from his role as a chaplain at a residential treatment center and school for children with learning and emotional disabilities. After moving to Long Island, he founded the Franciscan Circle, a progressive, interfaith gathering of clergy and lay people committed to journeying in mind and heart with the witness and wisdom of Francis and Clare of Assisi. The Circle is dedicated to developing leaders for thoughtful social action, contemplative practice, and compassionate spiritual care.

As a Franciscan, Br. Mark is committed to serving those who are sidelined, marginalized, and at risk. As a Buddhist, he is mindful that the transformation of the world begins with the transformation of one’s own heart. Embodying both traditions, he seeks to participate in the healing of both self and society through compassion, justice, and understanding. In recognition of his community ministry, the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless honored Br. Mark with its “Unsung Hero” Award.

Br. Mark D’Alessio can be reached at franciscancircle@gmail.com

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From Stardust to Us explores spirituality, consciousness, and culture in an evolving universe through conversations at the intersection of science, soul, and lived experience.